The following is a complete, spoiler-filled summary of the events of The Alchemy of Chaos.
If you do not wish to be spoiled for the events of the book, do not continue reading.
The Thorn Returns
VERANIX CALBERT, magic student at the University of Maradaine, is taking advantage of the last Break Day before end-of-term exams to hunt effitte sellers, to make his presence as “The Thorn” felt in the neighborhood. Both his confidante KAIANA NELL and his cousin COLIN TYSON (a street captain in the Aventil gang The Rose Street Princes) have been pushing him to be more active as The Thorn, despite the increased pressures he’s had from school. However, drug boss WILLEM FENMERE’S sellers are not only starting to push into Aventil, but the Red Rabbit gang is complicit in the sales. Veranix knocks the Red Rabbits around, and almost gets pinched by LT. BENVIN, the Constabulary patrol officer looking to clean up Aventil. Veranix gets away, and also helps JUTIE (a Rose Street Prince under Colin) get away from Benvin.
Responsibilities of Exams
Veranix returns to campus, promising his fellow 3rd-year student DELMIN SARREN that he’s going to focus on his exams for the next few days. His plan to get a decent night’s sleep is ruined by an apparent prank in the middle of the night, filling Almers Hall with a horrid smelling gas.
Colin is unsettled by the news that the Red Rabbits are helping sell effitte, giving Fenmere a foothold in Aventil. He brings his concerns to the Old Casey and the other Basement Bosses, who don’t want to start trouble with Fenmere, and are a bit too confident that the Thorn will keep the line at Waterpath. The bosses put two new people in Colin’s squad: DEENA and THEANNE
Fenmere dresses Bell does for the failure, and hires the Deadly Birds (a loosely knit group of female assassins) to hunt the Thorn as publicly and openly as possible. He doesn’t just want the Thorn dead, he wants to eradicate the legend, make sure no one else will try to take his place.
Veranix and Delmin meet with PROF. ALIMEN, who assigns them to work with PHADRE GOLMIN, a 4th Year magic student who is preparing to defend for his Letters of Mastery (and subsequent Circle induction). Phadre is pursuing outlandish theories about magic, astronomy, light and gravity, which even Delmin has trouble understanding. Their discussion at the dining hall is first interrupted when a student from the girls’ school (JIARNA KAY) comes in to confront Prof. Alimen over her research, and then when almost everyone eating becomes violently ill. A message appears on the wall, taunting the students and faculty.
The Bluejay Fight
Veranix realizes there is something more than end-of-term pranks happening; someone is attacking the university. He debates if he should do something about it. Kaiana thinks he should, since he had appointed himself “protector” of the campus. Delmin thinks he should let the prefects and professors handle the incidents, and focus on exams. Veranix also tries to talk to Kaiana about their kiss the monthbefore, but she avoids the subject.
While Veranix takes his history exam, there is an accident at the girls’ school, seriously injuring two students and one professor. Through Phadre, Veranix learns that a similar taunting message was found at that accident. Delmin hypothesizes that whoever is doing the attacks is using science and magic combined, since the nature of the attacks has elements of both.
Colin ignores the orders of the Basement Bosses and tries to confront the Red Rabbits. They ignore him, emboldened by the support they’re expecting to get from Fenmere. They even brag about the large supply of effitte they will be receiving that night. Frustrated, Colin sends word to Veranix to help out. Veranix can’t come, since he’s stuck working with Phadre, until Kaiana flirts with Phadre to distract him.
Veranix goes to ruin the effitte drop, but one the way there he’s set upon by BLUEJAY, one of the Deadly Birds. The fight is brutal and public, in the middle of Cantarell Square. Veranix is forced to flee back to campus, losing his bow in the process. As he sneaks back in, he’s spotted by Jiarna Kay.
The Trouble with Jiarna
The next day, Jiarna blackmails Veranix into helping her with her research, which involves studying magic and numina from a scientific perspective. Veranix realizes that her work and Phadre’s are actually quite similar. Veranix also becomes suspicious of her as the source of the attacks. Fenmere, meanwhile, is happy that the Birds have proven a worthy opponent for the Thorn, and is interested that the Thorn is not interested in taking or selling effitte for himself.
Colin organizes a church meet with some of the other Aventil gangs to form a pact to block the Red Rabbits and beat them down. Reverend Pemmick decides to take an active role, agreeing to mediate a meeting in the Trusted Friend.
After Veranix takes his Magic Theory exam, Prof. Alimen extends to him (and Delmin and Phadre) invitation to come to the Faculty’s High Table dinner. Jiarna hears about this and coerces Veranix to bring her as his escort, as it will give her opportunity to talk to the professors that have been snubbing her. Despite his suspicions, he agrees, so he can keep an eye on her.
Dinner at High Table
At the dinner, Veranix is surprised that Kaiana is also there, as Phadre’s escort, however as the evening continues, it becomes clear that Phadre and Jiarna are more interested in each other. While the dinner is going on, Colin is supposed to go to the meeting, but gets interrupted by a summons to the Turnabout, where VESSRIN, the reclusive boss, has Veranix’s bow, that he recognizing as belonging to Cal Tyson. Vessrin asks if it’s possible that “The Thorn” is Cal, and Colin dismisses the idea. He hurries to the meeting, and finds that Lt. Benvin has invited himself to it.
Thorn vs Prankster
The dinner is interrupted by a deadly gas attack. Veranix rescues some of the people from the dinner, and it’s clear that Jiarna is not responsible. Veranix spots the person who is behind it– the Alchemist– and gives chase, leading back out to Aventil.
At the meeting, it starts uneasy, but then falls apart when Benvin is poisoned. Things fall into chaos as everyone blames each other, and Colin pulls Benvin out and saves him. After a tense confrontation, Benvin lets Colin go.
Veranix’s attempts to subdue the Alchemist are thwarted when another Deadly Bird– BLACKBIRD– tries to kill him. The Alchemist triggers a stampede of horses to escape, and Veranix works to rescue the people getting dragged along by that—as does Blackbird, and they work together to save a family.
Defenses of Decisions
Also swept up in it is constabulary cadet JACE WELLING, and he and Veranix almost end up going over the bridge into the river together, but Veranix manages to save them. Even though Jace realizes he’s the Thorn, he lets him go. The constabulary makes a full show of locking things down in Aventil, and a lot of Princes are hiding in Colin’s flop, creating a lot of tension among the Princes. Veranix manages to get back on campus with Kaiana’s help, and they go to Delmin & Jiarna in the library—Jiarna is now working with them against the Prankster—where they are doing research to determine who the Prankster might be.
Fenmere is annoyed the Thorn hasn’t been killed, and Owl, the leader of the Birds, reports that Blackbird failed and was injured, but she’s being replaced by MAGPIE, at no additional cost. After Fenmere berates Bell, Bell goes to the Red Rabbits—who have been working with Fenmere to distribute effitte in Aventil, but they have other plans—they’re going to sell ‘The Red’, a variant made by the Alchemist Prankster. They capture Bell and tie him up.
Veranix and Delmin help Phadre with his defense, in part by bringing Jiarna in, which helps both of them, and they get their letters.
The Brewery Assault
After the defense, Delmin takes Veranix to the Lower Trenn Ward, where there’s a patient who had been a victim of an accident on campus a few years ago, and communicating with him confirms what Delmin suspected, that the Prankster is a disgraced and expelled former student named CUSE JENSETT. Veranix gets ready to go after Jensett, and tries to get Colin to help, but Colin is too overwhelmed with the chaos among the gangs, but he does tell Veranix that Jensett is the family name of the bosses of the Red Rabbits, who had taken over a brewery that used to be in Prince territory. Colin would try to help more, but before he can, there’s a confrontation with Benvin and his men in the Turnabout, and Jutie kills one of Benvin’s officers. Jutie goes on the run, and the bosses force Colin to stay in hiding.
Veranix attacks the brewery and, fighting the Red Rabbits there, but he’s incapacitated by the Prankster.
Alchemy of Rabbits
With Veranix not returned by morning, Kaiana and Delmin go searching for him, and in their hunt are set upon by Jutie, who is still on the run. He realizes they’re friends of the Thorn and wants to help, and between the three of them realize the brewery is the place he might be.
Colin is forced to give up leading his current crew from his flop, and is told to command a squad to take back Prince territory on Orchid from the Rabbits.
Veranix wakes up shackled to a device in the brewery, where Cuse is using him as a source of numina to charge the numinic batteries that are part of his plan to destroy the campus and have his revenge. Veranix is also confronted by Reb Jensett, an old member of the Rabbits, who recognizes him as the son of Cal Tyson, and tells him that the Rabbits will be selling the Red.
Combustion of Elements
Kaiana, Delmin and Jutie get to the brewery, where Delmin is sensing power in the brewery and in a wagon heading to campus. Kai sends Delmin and Jutie after the wagon, while she goes in the brewery. Inside, Veranix is trying to force enough numina through his body to destroy the machine he’s shackled to, bringing down half the building. This creates enough chaos for Bell to escape, after killing Reb. Kaiana gets in and helps Veranix get out, but they are set upon by Bluejay and Magpie. Veranix draws their attention so Kaiana can get to campus to stop Cuse. Veranix’s fight with Magpie and Bluejay spills into Cantarell Square. Kaiana catches up with Delmin and Jutie, and Jutie goes back to help the Thorn.
Defusing the Destruction
Colin is leading his new crew in their own attack on the Rabbits, with brings them near Cantarell, and he follows his instincts to chase the sounds of chaos. In Cantarell—where Pemmick is leading a vigil– Veranix does his best to hold his own against Magpie and Bluejay, but he’s drained and exhausted. Even Jutie’s help doesn’t mean much.
Kaiana gets to Haveldale Center, where the Ceremony of Masters was going on, and with Delmin’s help, finds that Cuse went into the loading passages. Delmin goes for Phadre and Jiarna, while Kaiana manages to subdue Cuse. But he says it’s already too late, the magical energy is already building and could only be stopped with napranium. Phade and Jiarna arrive, and using the rope, dissipate the energy, stopping the crisis.
Said energy is sent to Veranix, wearing the paired cloak. This gives him the power to incapacitate the Birds, but knocks him out as Colin arrives. Colin pleads to the reverend to give Veranix aid and asylum, and Pemmick, having experienced a vision of some sort, is inclined to do so. Jutie, however, gets arrested, and Colin can’t help him.
The Thorn’s Fortune and Fate
When Veranix returns to campus, Phadre, Jiarna and Kaiana are credited with stopping Jensett. Phadre and Jiarna barely notice the praise, as are mostly interested in each other. He’s more than happy to have his involvement go unnoticed. Lt. Benvin has arrested Magpie, several Red Rabbits, and Jutie, but he’s dissatisfied as he doesn’t really understand what happened, or why Jutie won’t give up the Thorn. But he has arrested Waterpath Orphan captain Yessa, who agrees to be a source on the street. Colin is torn up over Jutie getting arrested. He goes to the bosses, who reprimand for getting involved. He’s told he should be glad only one of his crew was lost in the process, and they promote Denna to captain with Colin’s crew, telling him to command his new crew on Orchard in the flop they just reclaimed.
Veranix passed all his exams, and is ready to move on to his 4th year.